Madison MS neighborhoods are coming together in a new
organization designed to keep property values high in Madison MS subdivisions to protect the integrity of
the city.
“Let’s move forward and show the rest of the metro area what
we can do to preserve our neighborhoods. They’re our greatest asset,” Mayor Mary
Hawkins Butler of Madison MS told a crowd of more than 50 residents representing 35
neighborhoods who met last week to create MONA, or Madison Organization of
Neighborhood Assoc.
With the city’s assistance, the representatives from across
Madison MS voted to form the new civic group designed to promote the quality of
neighborhoods and foster cooperation between homeowners associations.
“We’re here for the neighborhoods. We’re here to help each
other,” said Cherry Prather of the Armonde Court association, who was chosen as
the new group’s vice chairman of membership.
Butler said the organization will play an important role in
the city.
“As Madison begins to age, we need to do it with dignity,”
she said. “We need to come together to face issues as we grow old and as we grow
better.
“We need to make sure our older neighborhoods keep their
values as as the new ones do,” Butler said. “This organization can lay out the
future of how we protect our neighborhoods.”

David Wilson, the city’s neighborhood service manager, said
that as members of MONA, neighborhoods with active homeowners’ groups and those
without can help each other.
“We need for associations to interact,” he said.
Nell Tharp, president of the Stonegate Madison MS homeowners
association, said the city-wide council will help “give us some backbone” in
getting local residents to abide by neighborhood covenants in keeping with the
high standards Madison MS has adopted.
Ron Smith, with the Sherbourne Madison MS homeowners group, volunteered
to serve as chairman of MONA, bringing 15 years of involvement with homeowners
groups. The new organization will allow groups “to work with one another to make
sure everyone is enforcing standards the same way,” he said.
Neighborhoods that don’t have active associations can
participate in MONA, but the citywide organization can help those neighborhoods
take steps to form their own local groups, Smith said.
“The more people we have, the easier it’s going to be,” he
said.
Neighborhoods that had residents attending the first meeting
were: Bradford Place, Summertree, Cypress Lake, Sandalwood, Northbay, Belle
Rose, Treasure Cove, Locust Hill, Colonial Village, Highland Ridge, Victoria
Park, Traceland North, Armonde Court, Oak Hollow, Geneva Gardens, Madison Oaks,
Stonegate, Calumet, Brisage, Rolling Hills, Crescent Landing, Cedarmont, Arbor
Square, Pecan Creek, Hunter’s Pointe, Cobblestone, Highwoods, Wright’s Mill,
Tremont, Lake Castle, Woodbury Park, Wood’s Crossing, Windsor Hills, Trace
Vineyard and Sherbourne, all Madison Mississippi Neighborhoods.